


Make A Wish

by Lululeigh



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Birthday, Embarrassment, F/M, Family, Fluff, Hoshido | Birthright Route, Marriage, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-24 09:21:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10738773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lululeigh/pseuds/Lululeigh
Summary: He’s spent more birthdays than he can count on his fingers at Castle Shirasagi, but never once has he celebrated with a party—that is, until Lady Mikoto arrived with her young and genial daughter. While he was unaware of it in the past, Yukimura will learn years later how important this small family is in his life.





	Make A Wish

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday Yukimura! I don’t wish to ruin the story, so I’ll save my comments for the notes afterwards. Please do enjoy!

It was a gorgeous spring day in the capital, with the sun shining bright, sakura blossoms that had been in full bloom just a few weeks ago now littering the ground in pink and white, and birds chirping from their perches as they took care of their young. The castle was quiet this morning, perfect for a short stroll before one had to settle down and complete their work for the day. Hoshido’s mechanist, the composed and intuitive Yukimura, was doing just this, enjoying the fresh air so much that he almost didn’t notice the other person who was in the hallway.

In his defense, she was quite tiny compared to him; Lady Mikoto’s daughter who had been brought along to the castle with the new Queen reached no higher than his waist. She waved to him once he had noticed her out of the corner of his eye, running over to greet him with a big smile.

“Good morning!”

“Good morning Lady Corrin. How nice it is to see you during my morning walk.” He exchanged a smile back to her; he always did his utmost to be polite around the royals and their children, especially Mikoto’s daughter.

“Why do you go for walks?” She looked up at him curiously while he let out a short laugh at her question, amazed to find that the child could ask something so deep for someone of her age.

“I find it relaxing to go for a walk before I start any work. Helps clear the mind. And what are you up to today Lady Corrin? The castle today has been oddly quiet.”

The small girl beamed up at him, eyes so bright that they appeared to be twinkling. “Today’s my birthday and we’re having a party!”

“My word, that certainly is exciting,” Yukimura chuckled, “and how old are you today?”

Corrin raised her tiny arm towards him, all five digits extended, “I’m five! One, two, three, four… five!” she laughed. Her fits of giggles stopped as she noticed her mother emerge from around the corner, running over to her excitedly. “Momma’s having a birthday party for me today!”

“Oh, Lady Mikoto,” Yukimura gave a small bow as a sign of respect, wearing a small smile as he walked over to join them. “I’m certain it will be a lot of fun.”

“If my memory recalls,” Mikoto spoke, a small smirk donning her face, “today is your birthday as well, right, Yukimura?”

“Uh… well I mean you wouldn’t be wrong but I… just didn’t see it as being important to the conversation!” Yukimura stuttered, looking for a way out of the awkward situation. He didn’t overly enjoy celebrating his birthday and often avoided telling people the date of his birth. Lady Mikoto was one of the few exceptions to that rule, having pried the date out of him during one of their many conversations when she first arrived. He now seemed to be backed into a corner, his only means of escape being a small excuse that he had battle plans to return too.

“I really should be going if I am to meet with Lord Sumeragi tomorrow…” he slowly backed away, though not before he felt a small tug on the fabric of his pants.

“Today is your birthday too?” Corrin looked up at him with wide eyes, paired with a matching smile. “You can come to my party!”

“As much as I would love to, I really am busy, Lady Cor-” he regretted looking down in that moment, his heart caving in at the sight of Corrin’s tiny begging eyes.

“Pretty please? No one should celebrate their birthday alone.”

Yukimura glanced over to Mikoto, her arms crossed over her chest and a tiny smirk on her face. “The party starts at four and is being held in the reception room of the East Wing. We’ll see you there?” Corrin had returned to her mother’s side, leaving Yukimura no choice but to give in.

“I’ll… be there.” He did his best to smile back at the pair as they waved and said their goodbyes, leaving the mechanist with a nervous feeling in his stomach. When was the last time he had even attended a birthday party? He couldn’t recall an exact age, but it most definitely was before he had arrived at the castle to be placed under Lord Sumeragi’s care. With a loud sigh he rubbed at his temples; although he knew his job required being of help to the royal family, he had never foreseen in all his years being roped into a situation such as this.

\-----

“This was a terrible idea, I knew I should have found some way to decline…”

An incredible amount of pacing was going on outside in the hallway where the young Corrin’s birthday party was taking place. Yukimura was rethinking every possible outcome he could imagine after he stepped inside, wondering if he would be swarmed by children or instantly ignored. No doubt it would be a small gathering, with the other royal siblings and perhaps Lady Mikoto’s other retainers. Would they be expecting him to show up? Was it no easier just to turn back and return to his room? Lost in his thoughts, he had not heard the door to the room open, Lady Mikoto chuckling as she stood in the doorway and watched him.

“You know, the party isn’t taking place out here.”

“L-lady Mikoto!” Startled from his train of thought, Yukimura nearly jumped out of his skin, falling back against the wall with a loud thud. How embarrassing he was, and in front of the Queen at that. “Forgive me, I hadn’t noticed you there…”

The Queen did her best to hold in her laughter, although it was impossible to hide the smile on her face. “Are you going to be joining us? The young lady has been waiting patiently for you to arrive.” She stepped out into the hall, sliding the door shut so the guests inside wouldn’t hear their conversation. Yukimura stared down at the ground, unsure of how to answer, despite having thought of several responses to any question he would receive prior to his arrival.

“Forgive my rudeness Lady Mikoto, as I don’t mean to turn down your daughter’s invitation. You know I’m not one for celebrations, especially on this day…” he paused for a moment, trying to think of the right words, “Am I really wanted here?” Yukimura asked with a bit of hesitance in his voice, always afraid to receive a reply that would pain him more to hear than to ask the question in the first place.

“Although she’s young, I’ve raised my daughter to tell no lies. If she invited you here, it was not by mistake, but came straight from her heart.” Sliding the door open once again she gestured for him to enter, knowing her words had gotten to him by the change of expression on his face. Taking a deep breath, he built up his courage and stepped inside, immediately welcomed by the calm atmosphere of the room. A few decorations were hung around the room, and in the centre the five siblings appeared to be playing some sort of game together.

“See? It’s not too hectic.” Mikoto reassured him; she had always been good at it, although Yukimura still to this day was not sure how it worked.

“You’re here!” Corrin ran to him once she had noticed the new guest, giving him a big smile, “Thank you for coming to my party.”

“The honour is mine Lady Corrin, I couldn’t turn down an invitation from the birthday girl.” He smiled nervously, hoping that the small child wouldn’t be able to detect the hint of apprehensiveness in his voice. Luckily she hadn’t noticed, simply nodding before running off to return and play a game with her siblings. Yukimura took the time to look around the room, noticing that there was one person who seemed to be missing from attendance.

“Lord Sumeragi couldn’t make it,” Mikoto replied, as if she was reading his mind. “He’s always so busy these days, so she understands why he couldn’t be here.”

“I suppose that’s good then… I don’t see him as much of a party person either though,” Yukimura joked, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

“That’s what makes you two so similar,” Mikoto replied, watching the mechanist from the corner of her eye as he turned his head away in embarrassment. He didn’t have much time to recover as two others were instantly at his side, squeezing him in a hug so tight that he could barely breathe.

“Happy Birthday Yukimura!”

“I’m surprised to see you here. If we had known we could have planned something for the both of you,” Reina spoke, while Orochi was still cheering in excitement, saying nonsense such as it was his lucky day and that he should let her read his fortune.

“Please keep it down you two. At this rate, the whole capital will know what day my birthday is.” All three women laughed at his remark, Mikoto’s two other retainers pulling away, his personal bubble returning once again.

“Come now, today is a day to celebrate. Try to relax, alright?” Mikoto spoke in her cheerful yet persuasive tone of voice, returning to the children in the center of the room to check up on them. As Yukimura tried to sneak off to the far corner of the room, Orochi and Reina each looped their arms around his, dragging him off to a table they had set up.

“And where do you think you’re going birthday boy?”

“Don’t think you’ll spend the party alone. You can come sit with us at the adult table!” Orochi and Reina laughed, Yukimura sighing under his breath—there really was no escape for him.

The rest of the afternoon was calm—for the most part, if he didn’t count Orochi and Reina constantly teasing him for being the birthday boy—pertaining of simple games and activities to keep the children busy. There wasn’t much for him to do except talk to the other adults when they weren’t busy with the kids, feeling much too awkward and shy to help. Seated around their own table now, the children were making origami, piles of colourful paper and lots of patterns to choose from to keep them busy. Ryoma appeared to be leading the group, showing his siblings how to make certain objects that he had learned on his own. Yukimura was standing off on the far side of the room as he watched, having excused him to stretch his legs, but truly just needing a break from the idle chatter that was happening at their table.

Lost deep in his own thoughts once again, he hadn’t noticed Lady Corrin appear at his side until she spoke up, breaking him from the plans he was creating in his head to present to Lord Sumeragi the next day.

“Excuse my rudeness Lady Corrin, is there something I can do for you?” he asked, noticing the child had her hands hidden behind her back.

“Um… this is for you!” She extended her tiny hands upwards to reveal a blue crane, keeping them there until he picked it up. Although the folds weren’t perfect, he still could appreciate the kind gesture, reaching down to pet her head gently.

“Thank you, Lady Corrin. I will keep it safe.” She was off before he knew it again, returning to her siblings at the table as they continued to make origami. He sighed, walking over to join Lady Mikoto and the others at the separate table, seeing that they were making origami as well.

“Seems like you got a nice present there.”

“And it’s blue too! How fitting of your favourite colour.” Reina and Orochi teased, laughing as Mikoto could only shake her head. Yukimura took a seat and grabbed some paper, doing his best to ignore them as much as he could.

As the children finished their fun and began to clean up their paper crafts, Corrin wandered over to where Yukimura was seated, looking so deep in thought as he put the finishing touches on his creation. He once again hadn’t noticed her presence until he pulled away, giving one last fold to the paper as he looked at it, quite pleased with how it had turned out.

“Wow, she’s so pretty!” Corrin starred at the origami doll in amazement, blown away that something so intricate could be made with a few sheets of paper.

“She’s for you,” Yukimura slid the finished product towards her. “A birthday gift for you.” He smiled as she picked it up carefully with her fingers, not wanting to ruin the delicate doll.

“Thank you!” She gave him an unexpected hug before running over to her mother in excitement, showing off her handcrafted gift. He watched on with a smile on his face, noticing Mikoto’s nod of approval as her daughter kept talking about the doll.

“Well whaddya know, he does have a soft spot for her,” chirped Orochi, setting a cup of pink coloured punch in front of him.

“Better tell Lord Sumeragi to be careful~” Reina added, sitting beside him once again and elbowing him in the ribs, earning an evil glare.

“Nonsense. I was simply returning an act of kindness.” He spoke in a serious tone, trying to come off as angry, although he didn’t look it with the blush spread across his cheeks. The two women could only laugh, Yukimura grabbing his punch and refusing to look at either of them.

The rest of the party passed quickly as supper arrived, both the children and the adults enjoying the delicious food that had been prepared. As the party appeared to be wrapping up, Yukimura tried to sneak away, only to be stopped by Mikoto who was returning with a cake.

“Leaving already? We’re getting to the best part.” She smiled, stepping into the room once he had taken a step back to let her through.

“I don’t really need to stay for this… I’m not much of a cake fan.” He replied, giving an answer that was at least truthful.

“Corrin was hoping you’d blow out her candles with her. Remember, it’s still your birthday.” Mikoto sat the cake down at the adult table, sticking five candles in it carefully so as not to ruin the icing.

“I feel as though it would be out of place to be a part of this… Besides, it’s her cake after all.” He watched as she carefully lit the candles with a match, calling the children to arrange themselves around their table.

“Why don’t you ask her for yourself?” She picked up the cake once again, insisting with her eyes that he go and sit down beside her. He had once again been backed into a corner, moving to sit beside the young girl who was smiling happily at him and the cake.

“Happy birthday Corrin and Yukimura!” Orochi and Reina cheered from not too far away, everyone else joining in as the cake was placed in front of them. As they sung Happy Birthday he stared down at the cake, feeling the heat from the candles rise to his face and seeing the reflection of the orange flame in his glasses. Once the song was over Corrin gently tapped his arm, pointing to the candles on the cake.

“On three, blow them out and make a wish, okay?” She smiled, and instantly he panicked, unsure of how he was supposed to decide on a wish in three seconds. He looked nervously at the cake sitting in front of him, all the people counting down around him, and the young girl kneeling beside him, leaning forward on the table and waiting to make her wish. Coming to his mind at the last second, he leaned forward and blew, the cheers ringing in his ears as the room was filled with many congratulations. He looked over to Corrin who was clapping, excited to finally have a piece of the yummy dessert. As the cake was taken away to be sliced she turned to him, holding her finger to her lips as though she were telling him a secret.

“Remember to keep your wish a secret, okay? That way it will be sure to come true!”

\-----

The refreshing spring breeze felt cool against his skin, the sun slowly disappearing over the horizon as the sky became a combination of purples, pinks, oranges and reds. He had always taken pleasure in watching the sun rise and fall ever since he could remember, the fact that a natural phenomenon was uncalculated yet so beautiful put his mind at ease.

“I’m back! Yukimura, are you here?” he heard the noise of a door sliding open and closed, smiling as he recognized the voice of his wife returning for the night.

“I’m just outside enjoying the evening!” he heard a bit of rustling coming from the room inside before the door to the outside was slid open, Corrin pouncing on him from behind to give her husband a hug. His face lit up immediately at her gesture of affection, still not use to it after all this time they had spent together. Anyone who didn’t know them always assumed Yukimura was the one who would embarrass his wife with compliments and gestures of the heart, but actually it was the other way around, Corrin being the more forward lover of the two. “How was the birthday party?”

“Amazing! Oh Yukimura you really should have come! I’m sure everyone would have enjoyed celebrating your birthday as well.” She had broken the hug and was now standing at his side, her smile causing his heart to skip a beat.

“You know I’m not one for big parties my dear… I would much rather spend my birthday with those I truly care about, like you.” He smiled shyly before turning his attention back towards the sunset. While he tried not to reflect too much on it, it pained him to remember that there weren’t too many people left now that he could celebrate with.

“Was my mother one of those people?” Corrin asked in a quiet voice, not wanting to disturb the serene air which surrounded them. She perched her elbow on the railing, watching her husband as he stared off into the sunset.

“Lady Mikoto and Lord Sumeragi both, my dear. They were—and still are—some of the dearest people in my life. I would not be who I am today without them.” He sighed, turning his gaze downwards to look at the ground. “Unfortunately with the war our times of celebration were far and few between.”

“I wish I had been old enough to know you back then when both mom and the King were still alive… From the stories you’ve told me it sounds like you had a lot of good memories together, despite all the work you had on your hands. Why, I only was a young girl when I first arrived at the castle…” Corrin now caught herself rambling on, looking out into the bright orange sky as the sun made its descent. However, her words triggered a reminder in Yukimura’s head, breaking him from thoughts and dashing off inside for a quick moment.

“Yukimura?” Corrin turned to look at him, wondering what on earth she had said to make him move so quickly.

“Your words just reminded me of something my dear. Please hold on for just a second.” He returned to her a moment later, hands hidden behind his back. “Happy Birthday Corrin. I know it’s not much but, please accept this gift.” He smiled at her, a light blush dusting his cheeks as he handed her an envelope. She was caught off guard for a moment, taking the gift from him and staring at it for a long moment, causing him a bit of worry. It was all for nothing however, as she leaned in to kiss his cheek and began to open the seal on the envelope.

“I wonder what it could be… oh my, Yukimura…” Her voice wavered slightly as she pulled the piece of paper out from the envelope, a warm smile appearing on her face as she looked at the gift in detail. “Another memory for the picture box?”

“Indeed. I thought this would be a nice one to add considering what day it is. Do you remember this? The day you invited me to your birthday party? I know I was a bit more introverted back then than I am now, but the kindness you showed towards me that day made me realize it’s good to branch out, even if just a little bit.” He chuckled nervously, watching her reaction as a way to distract himself from the obvious heat rising to his cheeks.

“I do! That was at least ten years ago but I still remember you making that origami doll for me as a birthday present.” She dabbed at the corner of her eyes with her sleeves, looking down at the picture fondly as all the memories of that day came rushing back. “I should go put this in the picture box to keep it safe!”

Corrin hurried off to the other side of the room, opening the trunk where she kept her most valuable possessions and took out the picture box that was sitting on top. She slipped the paper in easily, rotating the lid to the right to view the pictures in sequence. She would have to reorder them later, having a preference to relive their memories in chronological order.

“Looking at our memories that you’ve so carefully created reminds me again and again of how much I love you. No one has ever done such a sweet thing for me.” She moved the picture box away from her face, only to see that Yukimura was bright red from embarrassment, and on the brink of tears. Carefully setting the box down into the trunk, she moved over to join him once again, wrapping her arms tightly around him in a hug.

“I’m sorry my lady, I just got a bit overwhelmed is all,” he sniffled, wishing he had his handkerchief to blow his nose, but unfortunately Corrin had wrapped him in such a tight hug that he couldn’t break free. “I’m always happy to make those pictures for you, so please do ask at any time if you think of one you’d like to add.”

A moment of silence fell over the room then, Corrin rubbing his back in a soothing manner as he rested his head against her shoulder. These quiet moments alone together were the ones he cherished the most, serving as a reminder to Yukimura that there was still at least one person who cared to be around him. Thinking of it like that wasn’t enough though; Corrin was so much more than ‘one person’, the love she continuously gave him nesting deep in his heart in a way he didn’t think was possible. He wrapped his arms around her then, tenderly embracing his wife until he was ready to speak again—except she beat him to it.

“As much as I want to request more pictures, I love when you surprise me with new ones. Do you think from now on… you could always draw me a picture for my birthday?” He had raised his head by that point to look at her, seeing now the soft blush on her cheeks, causing him to smile.

“If that is what you’d really like, I would be happy to oblige,” he kissed her gently as if to confirm their decision, squeezing her tightly in his arms until she was begging for air.

The rest of the evening preceded in their normal routine, with the inclusion of reorganizing the pictures so that they were once again in order. Crawling into bed and setting his glasses on the bedside table, Yukimura brought his wife close and aimlessly curled a piece of her hair around his finger, Corrin humming contently as she pressed a kiss to his lips. While he was ready for a nice rest, Corrin still had one question on her mind, quietly speaking to not disturb the quietness of the room as much as possible.

“That day when I invited you to my party, do you remember how we blew out the candles of my cake together?” She looked up at him, squinting in the darkness to see the outline of his face.

“Of course, it’s the part I remember the most clearly. Why?” He answered, posing a question to her question. 

“Those wishes we made… what was yours?” She asked curiously, receiving only a chuckle as a reply as he wrapped his arms tight around her and pressed a kiss to her lips.

“If I told you that now, I wouldn’t be doing my job of keeping it a secret, now would I?” He kissed her one last time as though to apologize, but Corrin knew it wasn’t likely she would get an answer. Accepting defeat, she allowed herself to fall asleep—however, Yukimura was still awake, lost in deep thought over the wish he had made that day, unsure of who to thank for making it come true. Perhaps it was Lady Mikoto from beyond the grave, still pulling strings in his life to urge him in making certain decisions. No matter the reason, he was eternally thankful, contently falling asleep with his wish wrapped tightly in his arms.

_I wish to have a family of my own to protect, whom I can love and cherish with all my heart._

**Author's Note:**

> Some might be wondering how I arrived at the idea for this fic, and to be honest the inspiration came from it being my birthday as well! Last year I was a bit busy and didn’t have the time to write anything for his birthday, so I figured I needed to make up for it this year. Happy Birthday to us! 
> 
> As always, thank you UntramenTaro here on AO3 for talking me through this fic and letting me ask for your input! I love Yukimura a lot but his character is difficult to decipher at times, so I greatly appreciate it! They also wrote fic for Yukimura’s birthday and I highly recommend it, it’s a solid 10/10. 
> 
> Per usual I’ve blabbed here too much but I just have so many nice things I want to say!! I guess I’ll end it with this: Thank you everyone who took the time to read this far, and here’s one last Happy Birthday to our clumsy and adorable mechanist!


End file.
